My workbench

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

My first real night on the road...I am back up on the South Shore, visiting an old friend tomorrow for lunch, after which I head back to my folks' house, pick up a few lingering toys, and head west. First Stop: Rochester. After that, it's a prettymuch straight shot to Montana. I'm still working out some basic issues, but things are going well.

That was, until I got locked out of my bank account. This seems to be happening all too often. Unfortunately, I do business with a bank who's first priority is SECURITY. This means that I cannot talk my way into my account without tons of verifiable info, in this case some stuff which I don't know. So, gotta wait till they mail something to Jess in Burlington, she opens it and relays it to me. This means that I'm gonna be out of some $ for a few days, which will bite...But such is life.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

After speaking to some long-lost friends, collecting even MORE research, attempting to contact dozens of people (with a handful ever responding), I've reached a point:

The dodge 318 V8 engine.

So, with that in mind, I get to RE-RE-RE-resume my search. At least, after all of this, I have some positive feedback regarding the reliability of the engine I am choosing, as well as a baseline from the vannie community (those whom live in vans). So, after many false starts, assumptions, mistakes, and a few hundred miles of travel, I've got a decision.

In other news, coming up here may have cost me a hundred+ dollars, but I've saved easily that much by visiting the Gear Exchange. I picked up a $200 jacket for $60 (I've been looking for a good softshell), as well as a pair of 4-point instep crampons (IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND IN NEW ENGLAND!!!) for half off ($30).

I considered hitch-hiking back, and would really love to...but time is a factor. So, maybe next time.